We remain committed to preserving the legacy of St. Margaret’s and to pursuing all appropriate avenues to ensure that her land, history, and purpose are not lost to institutional convenience or short-sighted judgment. ~Sandra Mitchell, SOS President

 

The Mission: Champion the ongoing operation of St. Margaret’s School by mobilizing and amplifying stakeholder advocacy, ensuring the school’s sustainability and growth for years to come.

September 12, 2025

Dear Fellow Alumnae and Friends,

Since our last Save Our St. Margaret’s School (SOS) update, we have been diligently working on the legal claims against Church Schools of the Diocese of Virginia (CSDV). Throughout the summer, we continued our engagement with CSDV. As soon as we can share the results of these engagements, SOS will inform all constituents to prevent speculation and rumors. We are committed to providing monthly or more frequent updates to keep you informed of our progress. (Please check your spam folder as we’ve heard some communications have landed there.)

We deeply appreciate your letters of support, contributions to the legal fund, and your continued dedication to saving our beloved school.

As Elizabeth “Sissy” Crowther (Class of 1975 and former SMS Board of Governors Chair) mentioned in her email on September 5, the new Foundation for St. Margaret’s School (FSMS) has been established to act as the governing board for a reorganized St. Margaret’s School. FSMS will receive property or other assets and develop strategies for reopening the school. FSMS is pursuing an accelerated 501(c)(3) status and has opened a bank account to receive donations.

How can you help with the ongoing work?

If you made a donation to SMS in 2025, consider supporting the new Foundation for St. Margaret’s by transferring your 2025 donations to it. The steps for doing this are as follows:

  1. Email Edwina Bell at ebell@sms.org to request that your 2025 contribution to St. Margaret’s School be refunded to you directly.

  2. Write your check to the Foundation for St. Margaret’s School. At present, the organization has not set up a mechanism to take credit card or other payment methods, but will do so asap.

  3. Mail your donation to: Secretary, Foundation for St. Margaret’s School, P.O. Box 1054, Dunnsville, VA 22454

  4. Please include your updated phone, mail, and email information

  5. You will receive a prompt acknowledgement for your gift.

If you wish to specify that your donations to the new Foundation for St. Margaret’s should help underwrite legal action, please indicate this when making your gift. Otherwise, the Foundation will accept all contributions and use its discretion on how the funds will be utilized in the effort to reopen St. Margaret’s School. Once the Foundation’s charitable designation has been approved, we will share that update with you.

If negotiations with CSDV are successful, contributions designated for litigation will be retained by the Foundation for use in other ways to support the school’s reopening.

Thank you for your continued support and faith in the future of St. Margaret’s School and our shared goal to reopen on the Rappahannock River in Tappahannock.

Sandra S. Mitchell, President
Save Our St. Margaret’s 

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